St. Petersburg State Technical University

It was amazing living with Russians and with students from all over the former Soviet Union in a dormitory situation. I would never give up that opportunity.

Russia does not have a great economy, although it is improving. Everything there is a fraction of the cost of the price in Western Europe or in America.

I only wish that I could have spoken Russian better before I went. But some advice, Russia is not as dangerous as Westerners make it out to be. Street crime in St. Petersburg, i.e. muggings, is comparable to any Western metropolis. Just use common sense and you should be okay.

I had been to Russia on a high school exchange twice before I studied there through my university. However, these exchanges were to Moscow. I chose to study in St. Petersburg, although I thought I would rather be in Moscow. I was wrong! I feel like St. Petersburg is my home and I hope to return one day for an extended amount of time. These feelings are in a large part generated from the staff at the university, as well as the friends I made there who were in my classes or in my dorm.

The Russian Language teachers there are excellent. A few taught as exchange professors at my home University. The integrated classes, taught to mostly Russians in Russian were a lot to get used to, but worth it.

There were certain aspects I liked a lot and others that I didn't like so much. But, I can speak Russian now, so I think that the academic life was just fine.